Illinois special election 2013: Robin Kelly wins Democratic primary

A multimillion-dollar ad blitz by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to stop an NRA-backed House candidate in Illinois paid off Tuesday night, as local official Robin Kelly crushed more than a dozen Democratic candidates vying to replace disgraced former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

Bloomberg and gun control proponents seized on the results as evidence of momentum in their push to enact President Barack Obama’s gun control package. The mayor will take that message to Washington Wednesday in meetings with Vice President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), according to Bloomberg’s public schedule.

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Bloomberg's PAC ad slams Halvorson on guns

Bloomberg’s visit coincides with a hearing the Senate Judiciary is slated to hold Wednesday on a proposal to ban assault weapons.

With 72 percent of precincts reporting in the Democratic primary, Kelly, the Cook County chief administrative officer and a former state representative, held a 53 percent to 24 percent lead over Debbie Halvorson, a former congresswoman. Anthony Beale, a Chicago alderman, had 10 percent.

The outcome marked a major win for Bloomberg, who spent around $2.3 million attacking Halvorson for her pro-gun views and propping up Kelly. The ad blitz swamped the underfunded ex-congresswoman and prompted her to brand him as an out-of-town billionaire trying to buy a House seat.

In the wake of the tragic Newtown, Conn., shootings, and with Chicago’s violent streets as its backdrop, the race emerged as a referendum on the national debate over gun control. Bloomberg has used his wealth to sway House races before: In 2012, he spent more than $3 million to sink a pro-gun Democrat, Rep. Joe Baca. And his group, Independence USA PAC, spent more than $14 million in races across the country.

His Tuesday win signals that Bloomberg is ready to play another outsize role in 2014, targeting gun-supporting candidates.

“This is an important victory for common-sense leadership on gun violence, a problem that plagues the whole nation,” Bloomberg, who has emerged as the face of the national movement for stricter gun laws, said in a statement. “And it’s the latest sign that voters across the country are demanding change from their representatives in Washington — not business as usual. As Congress considers the president’s gun package, voters in Illinois have sent a clear message: We need common-sense gun legislation now. Now it’s up to Washington to act.”